Okinawa’s dyed and woven textile

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●Bingata

		Ryukyu Bingata are vivid and beautiful dyed goods expressing the rich colors of Okinawa’s nature. 　Its origin is not known but the dyeing techniques were transmitted by means of international trade from China, India and Java and their prints in the 14th－15th centuries. Bingata was a formal dress for the royal and shizoku (warriors class) families. The royal family wore yellow bingata while the nobles wore light blue and the common people were allowed to wear it when they cerebrated longevity.　　　Main patterns are as follows:“Udun-gata” for the royal and shizoku families, “Dounchi-gata” for the upper shizoku, “Shuri-gata” for shizoku in general, “Wakashu-gata” for families of upper shizoku, “Ganji-gata” for children. “Naha-gata” and “Tomari-gata” were for common people and export purposes. The aristocrats used the Bingata of “Chirimen” (silk crepe) or "Rinzu" (figured satin) with picturesque and multi-colored large designs on a white background or light yellowish color. 　The common people used cotton cloth of oboro-gata dyed in either 5 colors (iro-oboro) or 2 colors (indigo and black ).
There are two methods of Bingata dyeing, namely Kata-zome (stencil dyeing) and Tsutsugaki-zome (cylinder dyeing). Paste is placed on the stencil or cylinder to prevent the part from dyeing over pigments or vegetable dyestuff that are applied for coloring. Aigata (indigo blue bingata) is dyed with some shades of indigo. Kata-zome is mainly used for dyeing garments while Tsutsugaki is often used for furoshiki (wrapping cloth) or a stage curtain for Ryukyu dance. Furoshiki is used for the wedding ceremony and its popular patterns include Sho-chiku-bai (pine, bamboo and plum trees), Peony and Iris, while the curtain patters are often Sho-chiku-bai and Tsuru-kame (crane and turtle).　The dyeing methods are as follows: Uburu-gata Patterns on background using Someji-gata and Hakuji-gata. Someji-gata Dye patterns and background with one paste placing Kaeshi-gata Dye with Hakuji-gata once, then dye background with paste placing of the patterns Hakuji-gata One paste placing, dyeing the patterns leaving only the background white.